Anita Sharif-Hyder

Anita Sharif is a respected higher education leader with over 25 years of experience in student affairs, academic administration, global education, and leadership development. She currently serves as Dean of Students and Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and Student Life at the Yale School of Management, where she provides strategic leadership and oversight for a wide range of student services and academic support programs.

In this role, Anita is responsible for shaping a holistic and inclusive student experience for Yale SOM’s residential MBA, Master of Advanced Management (MAM), and Master of Management Studies (MMS) students. Her portfolio spans academic advising, student life programming, curriculum coordination, mental health and wellness initiatives, crisis management, teaching support, tutoring services, student government engagement, and oversight of global study requirements. She also leads key institutional initiatives such as Orientation and Commencement and plays an integral role in maintaining SOM’s culture of academic integrity through her service on the Honor Committee and Academic Standards Committee.

Anita is recognized for her collaborative leadership style and her ability to build cross-functional partnerships across the university. She works closely with departments including Admissions, Career Development, Community Engagement, Development and Alumni Relations, and Yale’s central administration to ensure a seamless and responsive student experience. She also manages the Academic Affairs and Student Life team, fostering an environment that prioritizes proactive support, equity, and excellence.

Prior to her current role, Anita served for a decade as Senior Associate Director of Yale’s University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct. There, she led complex case management processes, served as the university’s primary liaison to key stakeholders, and advised on policy implementation related to sexual misconduct and Title IX compliance. Her leadership in this space reflected a deep commitment to procedural fairness, trauma-informed approaches, and institutional accountability.

Anita’s career in education spans a broad range of roles that highlight her global perspective and dedication to leadership development. As Assistant Director of Programs and Admissions at Yale World Fellows, she managed admissions and programming for an elite global fellowship that brings mid-career leaders from across sectors and countries to Yale. Her work included applicant evaluation, intercultural advising, leadership training, and building strong partnerships between Fellows and the Yale community.

She also held key roles earlier in her career at Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions as a Center Director, and at the International House of Philadelphia, where she developed international residential programming and supported students from over 100 countries.

Anita holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Towson State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Syracuse University. She is a certified mediator and Restorative Justice Facilitator and holds a Leadership Certificate from the University of San Diego Center for Restorative Justice. She is also conversant in several languages, including Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, and French, and brings significant lived experience from having lived in Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Kuwait, and Venezuela.

Anita is widely recognized for her leadership and service across the Yale community and beyond. Her honors include the Linda Lorimer Award for Distinguished Service, a prestigious university-wide recognition, as well as multiple awards for excellence in teaching and customer service from earlier in her career. She is also a graduate of Emerge at Yale, a competitive staff leadership program, and currently serves as Associate Head of College at Trumbull College, where she mentors undergraduates in both academic and co-curricular pursuits.

Beyond her professional work at Yale, Anita is an active leader in civic and cultural life. She currently serves on the Executive Board of Directors of the Dialogue Institute (Philadelphia), is a member of the Advisory Committee for the MENA Center at Yale and sits on the Board of Directors of Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven. She previously served on the boards of the Connecticut Storytelling Center and participated in the Muslim Leadership Initiative at the Shalom Hartman Institute.

Her work in interfaith dialogue, international education, and student development reflects her deep commitment to fostering empathy, cross-cultural understanding, and inclusive leadership.

MA, Towson State University, 1997
BA, Syracuse University, 1994